Proverbs 3
1 My son! Do not forget my law, And let your heart keep my commands,
[My] son, forget not my laws; but let thine heart keep my words:
2 For [the] length of [your] days and years, Life and peace they add to you.
for length of existence, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Do not let kindness and truth forsake you, Bind them on your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; but bind them about thy neck:
4 And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
so shalt thou find favour: and do thou provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men.
5 Trust to YHWH with all your heart, And do not lean to your own understanding.
Trust in God with all thine heart; and be not exalted in thine own wisdom.
6 In all your ways know Him, And He makes your paths straight.
In all thy ways acquaint thyself with her, that she may rightly direct thy paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes, Fear YHWH, and turn aside from evil.
Be not wise in thine own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil.
8 It is healing to your navel, And moistening to your bones.
Then shall there be health to thy body, and good keeping to thy bones.
9 Honor YHWH from your substance, And from the beginning of all your increase;
Honour the Lord with thy just labours, and give him the first of thy fruits of righteousness:
10 And your barns are filled [with] plenty, And your presses break forth [with] new wine.
that thy storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that thy presses may burst forth with wine.
11 Discipline of YHWH, my son, do not despise, And do not be distressed with His reproof,
[My] son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
12 For whom YHWH loves He reproves, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives.
13 O the blessedness of a man [who] has found wisdom, And of a man [who] brings forth understanding.
Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence.
14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold—her increase.
For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver.
15 She [is] precious above rubies, And all your pleasures are not comparable to her.
And she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value.
16 Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honor.
For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth proceeds righteousness, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue.
17 Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, And all her paths [are] peace.
Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are peaceful.
18 She [is] a tree of life to those laying hold on her, And whoever is retaining her [is] blessed.
She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her; and she is [a] secure [help] to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord.
19 YHWH founded the earth by wisdom, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
God by wisdom founded the earth, and by prudence he prepared the heavens.
20 By His knowledge depths have been broken, And clouds drop dew.
By understanding were the depths broken up, and the clouds dropped water.
21 My son! Do not let them turn from your eyes, Keep wisdom and thoughtfulness,
[My] son, let [them] not pass from [thee], but keep my counsel and understanding:
22 And they are life to your soul, and grace to your neck.
that thy soul may live, and that there may be grace round thy neck; and it shall be health to thy flesh, and safety to thy bones:
23 Then you go your way confidently, And your foot does not stumble.
that thou mayest go confidently in peace in all thy ways, and that thy foot may not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you are not afraid, Indeed, you have lain down, And your sleep has been sweet.
For if thou rest, thou shalt be undismayed; and if thou sleep, thou shalt slumber sweetly.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it comes.
And thou shalt not be afraid of alarm coming upon thee, neither of approaching attacks of ungodly men.
26 For YHWH is at your side, And He has kept your foot from capture.
For the Lord shall be over all thy ways, and shall establish thy foot that thou be not moved.
27 Do not withhold good from its owners, When your hand [is] toward God to do [it].
Forbear not to do good to the poor, whensoever thy hand may have [power] to help [him].
28 Do not say to your friend, “Go, and return, and tomorrow I give,” When substance [is] with you.
Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while thou art able to do [him] good: for thou knowest not what the next day will bring forth.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, And he sitting confidently with you.
Devise not evil against thy friend, living near thee and trusting in thee.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has not done you evil.
Be not ready to quarrel with a man without a cause, lest he do thee some harm.
31 Do not be envious of a man of violence, Nor fix on any of his ways.
Procure not the reproaches of bad men, neither do thou covet their ways.
32 For the perverted [is] an abomination to YHWH, And His secret counsel [is] with the upright.
For every transgressor is unclean before the Lord; neither does he sit among the righteous.
33 The curse of YHWH [is] in the house of the wicked. And He blesses the habitation of the righteous.
The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly; but the habitations of the just are blessed.
34 If He scorns the scorners, Yet He gives grace to the humble.
The Lord resists the proud; but he gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise inherit glory, And fools are bearing away shame!
The wise shall inherit glory; but the ungodly have exalted [their own] dishonour.
